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The Nonprofit Blog

QR Codes and Fundraising

February 24, 2012
By Ruthellen S. Rubin, CFRE

I have felt this blog coming on for a while ... mostly when I sit in subway cars, deep underground, far away from an Internet signal ... and wonder how far I will get if I scan one of the many QR codes on the subway advertisements. When my friend Jenni Schwartz told me about the (high in the sky) billboard in Soho, NYC that contained a QR code, I knew it was time to write about QR codes.

QR, or Quick Response code, is the two dimensional version of the bar code, which has been used for many years, chiefly to show the price of a product. The QR code whisks us to a website with a swoosh and a click from the reader app that we can download for free to our smartphone. (I'm lovin' Code Muncher!)

So...what does this mean for fundraisiers? It means a lot. The obvious is that we can put a QR code to our donation page on printed materials to give readers of print media the same instantaneous ability to donate online as the "donate now" button on our website.

It also means we can bring our program to life by putting a QR code to a video on a poster (eye level or lower, please) or on anything that's printed, including our organization tee-shirts. I've even heard that great fundraisers are tattooing their bodies with QR codes to "Tell a story," "demonstrate impact" or "click to donate." Imagine the possibilities!

At my organization, we are about to print our first alumni yearbook with QR codes spread throughout so our readers can see videos from our program, "get involved," apply for a scholarship, join our LinkedIn Group and much more. We know, that for those who have the app, this printed yearbook will become a living and vibrant connection to our program.

I don't know who is responsibile for QR codes on billboards in the sky or deep underground in the subways, but as you are integrating this awesome technology into your development materials, remember...the user will need to reach the code and have Internet access!

Ruth Ellen, you are right about having the ability for your audience to actually access the QR codes...and at eye level! I've been using them on my business cards for over a year now and have had a good responce.